Guide to the William Tennent Papers

Descriptive Summary

Title

William Tennent Papers

Inclusive Dates

1706-1740, 1947

Call Number

RG 276

Creator(s)

Tennent, William, 1673-1746.

Quantity

0.25 cubic feet (1 box)

Restrictions on Access

Collection open for research. Manuscript sermons in Folders 2, 3, and 17 are restricted for preservation reasons.

Repository

Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516 USA

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Biographical Note

William Tennent, Sr., Presbyterian clergymen and educator, was born either in Ireland or Scotland in 1673. He received an M.A. from the University of Edinburgh in 1693. Although he had been licensed to preach by one of the Scottish presbyteries and had been received as a probationer by the Synod of Ulster when he went to Ireland, in 1704 he entered the Anglican ministry and was ordained in the Church of England in Ireland. When in 1718 he migrated to America, he immediately applied for admission and was received into the ministry of the Presbyterian Church by the General Synod which was then in session in Philadelphia. From 1720 to 1727 he served pastorates in the Province of New York. In 1727 he became pastor at Neshaminy in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In the late 1720s he began teaching young men preparing for the Presbyterian ministry. His four sons were included among these ministerial candidates. He eventually, in 1727, erected a log building to house his school--the famous Log College. In the Old Side/New Side schism in the Presbyterian Church Tennent sided with the New Side party, and his oldest son, Gilbert, became an influential New Side leader and a major revivalist of the Great Awakening. William Tennent died in 1746.

Collection Overview

This collection consists of 17 manuscripts of sermons and sermon notes of William Tennent, Sr., although there may actually be outlines of more than one sermon included in at least one of the 17. (The numbering of these manuscripts was done by editors or librarians, not by Tennent.) Dates and places where the sermons were preached are given by Tennent for most, the earliest date being 1706 in Ireland before Tennent came to America.

In 1947, Catharine R. Klett deciphered the manscripts and transcribed them. They are included as an aid due to the difficulty of reading Tennent's handwriting. They are no doubt questionable in places and therefore should be used with caution by researchers. The manuscripts are also available on microfilm.

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania also has a manuscript of a William Tennent sermon; a transcript is included in this collection.

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is arranged accordingly:

SERIES I: MANUSCRIPT SERMONS AND SERMON NOTES, 1706-1740

SERIES II: TRANSCRIPTS OF SERMONS AND SERMON NOTES DECIPHERED BY CATHARINE R. KLETT, 1947

Alternative Formats

Available also on microfilm: MFPOS 651.

Administrative Information

Processing Information

Collection processed and finding aid prepared: March 1991
Glenn Colliver, Assistant Archivist

Catalog Headings

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in the society’s electronic catalog.

Personal Name Subject

Tennent, William, 1673-1746.

Topical Subject

Sermons, American--18th century.

Presbyterian Church--Clergy--18th century.

Clergy--United States--18th century.

Genre-form

Sermons. aat

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description

1	1	Finding Aid to Records Group 276

		SERIES I: MANUSCRIPT SERMONS AND SERMON NOTES, 1706-1740

1	2	Manuscript, Sermon 1, 1706 [restricted for preservation reasons]
1	3	Manuscript, Sermon 2, 1717 [restricted for preservation reasons]
1	4	Manuscript, Sermon 3, 1725 [fragile, handle with care]
1	5	Manuscript, Sermon 4, 1730 [fragile, handle with care]
1	6	Manuscript, Sermon 5, 1731 [fragile, handle with care]
1	7	Manuscript, Sermon 6, 1731 [fragile, handle with care]
1	8	Manuscript, Sermon 7, 1731 [fragile, handle with care]
1	9	Manuscript, Sermon 8, 1732 [fragile, handle with care]
1	10	Manuscript, Sermon 9, 1733 [fragile, handle with care]
1	11	Manuscript, Sermon 10, 1733 [fragile, handle with care]
1	12	Manuscript, Sermon 11, 1734[fragile, handle with care]
1	13	Manuscript, Sermon 12, 1738 [fragile, handle with care]
1	14	Manuscript, Sermon 13, 1739 [fragile, handle with care]
1	15	Manuscript, Sermon 14, 1740 [fragile, handle with care]
1	16	Manuscript, Sermon 15, n.d. [fragile, handle with care]
1	17	Manuscript, Sermon 16, n.d. [restricted for preservation reasons]
1	18	Manuscript, Sermon 17, n.d. [fragile, handle with care]

		SERIES II: TRANSCRIPTS OF SERMONS AND SERMON NOTES DECIPHERED BY CATHARINE R. KLETT, 1947

1	17	Transcript, Sermon 1
1	18	Transcript, Sermon 2
1	19	Transcript, Sermon 3
1	20	Transcript, Sermon 4
1	21	Transcript, Sermon 5
1	22	Transcript, Sermon 6
1	23	Transcript, Sermon 7
1	24	Transcript, Sermon 8
1	25	Transcript, Sermon 9
1	26	Transcript, Sermon 10
1	27	Transcript, Sermon 11
1	28	Transcript, Sermon 12
1	29	Transcript, Sermon 13
1	30	Transcript, Sermon 14
1	31	Transcript, Sermon 15
1	32	Transcript, Sermon 16
1	33	Transcript, Sermon 17
1	34	Transcript, Sermon at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania

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Guide to the William Tennent Papers

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